


Skyhold

by Willowflower_Waterlily



Series: I Promised You Forever (Evelyn and Malcolm Hawke series 3) [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Post-Canon, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 19:34:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4678736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowflower_Waterlily/pseuds/Willowflower_Waterlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Evelyn and Malcolm meet with the Inquisitor, and Evelyn wanders her old home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skyhold

Evelyn isn’t fully prepared for the surreal feeling she gets entering Skyhold. It is almost as if the fortress is a reflection of her, the same and different all at once. She knows there will be no familiar faces to greet her, but she can’t help but look for them anyway.

Malcolm squeezes her hand as they are escorted to a room in the tavern, Sera’s room. Standing just inside the doorway, Evelyn remembers spending time together with the eccentric elf, cracking jokes and eating cookies. Biting her lower lip, she fights back tears, knowing she’s going to mourn all of her friends.

Walking back downstairs, Evelyn looks at where Krem sat, the seat empty. Frowning, she turns to glance at Bull’s spot, meeting the gaze of a Qunari woman. The horned woman nods at Evelyn, a look of understanding in her dark grey eyes that raises goosebumps on Evelyn’s skin. Malcolm gently tugs at her arm, guiding her out of the inn.

 

Standing in the main hall, Evelyn tries to avoid looking at where the table Varric used to sit at had been. She can still visualize him sitting there, replying to letters, and throwing the ones from the Merchants’ Guild into the fireplace. A polite cough diverts Evelyn’s attention from the fireplace to the throne.

A tall man in full plate stands in front of the throne, with dark blond hair and amber brown eyes. Evelyn stares, trying to keep her jaw from hitting the floor. He smirks at Evelyn as he walks up to her and Malcolm.

“I’m Inquisitor Cailan Theirin. Nice to meet you.” He shakes their hands. “I am told you need my help with something.”

“It would be better if we spoke in a more private setting.” Evelyn replies, twirling a strand of her hair around her index finger. “What we have to say is unusual, and it would be best if not many ears overheard it.” Cailan motions for them to follow him, walking toward the ambassador’s office. Swallowing audibly, Evelyn blindly reaches for Malcolm’s hand as they follow.

The office looks almost exactly the same as when it was Josephine’s. Evelyn can almost imagine that Josie was walking around with a guest and would return shortly, or that she and Leliana would walk through the door behind her ready for the next meeting.

Malcolm squeezes Evelyn’s hand, giving her a worried look. Evelyn leans against him, turning her gaze back to Cailan. “I’m sorry, Inquisitor. It’s been an adjustment from when I was here last.” Evelyn feels her eyes become damp with tears. Cailan closes the distance between them, and squeezes her shoulder.

“How can I help?”

“It’s going to sound outrageous no matter how it’s said, so I’ll just come out and say it.” Malcolm glances away, collecting his thoughts. Shifting his gaze back to the Inquisitor, he sighs. “We were reincarnated, Evelyn and myself. She was Evelyn Trevelyan and I was Malcolm Hawke. We want to know what happened to our children. We know that two of them joined the Inquisition, but we don’t know if the other two did. It seemed like the logical place for them to go, after… after we died.”

Cailan studies them both. He nods, frowning. His expression is closed, and neither Evelyn nor Malcolm can tell if he believes them or not. “I know what happened to three of them. I knew them when I was a little boy. They were kind to me. Mal and Marric looked after the orphans in Skyhold. They took care of many of the children themselves. Lana became the Commander, after rising quickly through the ranks, and Lucy was the First Enchanter of the circle here. None of them had children of their own.”

“Do you know anything about Leandra?” Evelyn asks, hesitance in her voice. Malcolm wraps his arms around her, bracing Evelyn.

“I’m sorry, I don’t. I will look for information though.” Cailan walks past them to the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting. I will get back to you as soon as I can.”

 

Evelyn leaves Malcolm in their room, and wanders around aimlessly. She goes to where she remembers her friends would be, knowing they won’t be there, but hoping anyways. Each time she doesn’t see one of them, her heart breaks a little more. The tears become harder to restrain, escaping when she reaches Dorian’s favorite chair. She can almost see him sitting there, waving her to come over and sit on his lap so he can read to her. When she blinks, the image is gone. The chair is still void of her best friend.

Walking the battlements, Evelyn stops where she first met Malcolm. She didn’t know how important he would become to her. Closing her eyes, she can still remember their first conversation, and his laugh.

“You seem lost.” A husky feminine voice disrupts her silence. Opening her eyes, Evelyn turns to see the woman from the tavern. The Qunari taps her red painted nails on her chin, her silvery skin a contrast to her dark grey horns. “Not lost in the sense that you don’t know where you are, but rather you don’t know who you are.”

Ignoring the chill in her bones, Evelyn eyes her appraisingly. “Who are you? Are you related to Bull?” Evelyn takes a small amount of pleasure from seeing the Qunari thrown off balance.

“My name is Tamin.” She crosses her arms over her chest, staring at Evelyn. “How do you know my grandfather? You look to be of age with me. I’ve never seen you here before.”

Evelyn shifts her gaze away from Tamin, looking out over the courtyard below. She bites her lower lip to keep it from quivering, her eyes moist with tears. “It was another life.” Evelyn turns, walking away from Tamin before she can ask more questions.

 

Pacing in front of the door to the war room, Evelyn prays Cailan can give them some good news. Malcolm steps in front of her, stopping her pacing. The door behind her opens its hinges creaking and the advisers file past, the last of the three being Tamin. Evelyn’s gaze briefly meets hers, and she nods at the Qunari. The Malcolm kisses the top of her head before walking toward the door. Evelyn spins on her heels and follows.

“I’ll be blunt with you. I don’t completely believe your story.” Cailan taps the war table, standing directly opposite them. Evelyn closes her eyes, trying to drive the image of Cullen standing there out of her mind. “I would be even less likely to believe you if my spymaster didn’t think you were being honest.”

Gripping the table edge with one hand, Evelyn holds her other hand over the pounding heart. “Will you tell us about our daughter, please?” Malcolm wraps his arms around her waist, and she leans into him. She looks up from the map, and into Cailan’s eyes. He nods at her, holding a bag she didn’t notice before.

“She and her husband were ambushed while protecting some nobles going into Orlais.” Cailan begins without preamble. “The last of the renegade Templars attacked them, killed Leandra first, then the nobles. Leandra died in Will’s arms. They performed the rite on him, and made him carry her body back to Skyhold. He became ill and died within days of returning.”

A choked sob escapes Evelyn’s throat as she sinks to the floor, Malcolm still holding her. She turns, burying her face into his chest and wails, body shaking. Images flash through her mind of her baby girl, her first born. Every cry and milestone, every cut and scrape she kissed to make all better, and every moment cherished, no matter how small it seemed at the time overwhelms Evelyn.

The lump in her throat grows larger as she mourns, making it hard to breathe. Her body convulses, and she hears Malcolm yelling for her to stay with him, but his voice sounds distant. The images of Leandra continue to invade her mind, snapshots of a life cut short too soon. Mingled in are images of Will, the shy green eyed boy who cared for her daughter. Agony and guilt tear her heart to shreds, her lungs seemingly unable to draw a full breath. Her vision blurs as Malcolm lays her down on the floor. He holds her hand, and tells her something but she can’t hear him over the blood rushing in her ears. She closes her eyes, falling into unconsciousness.


End file.
